FCAT Info
Please look in your child's Tuesday Take Home Folder for information on FCAT dress up days that will begin the first Monday after spring break, as well as candy and snack donations and instructions for "the super secret surprise letters!"
Social Studies
There will be a change in our schedule due to the shortened week; we will have our weekly quiz on Thursday this week. We will continue with our study of ancient Greece. This week's focus will be on daily life in the city-state of Athens. We will learn about the role of wealthy men in the governmental system, as well as the role of women in caring the home and children. We will compare and contrast this with the roles of poor men and women in this ancient community. We will also briefly discuss contributions the ancient Greeks made with their alphabet and theater productions.
Science
Our focused study of heat energy is underway. So far we have discussed how scientists can measure how much heat energy an object has by using a thermometer to take the temperature of an object. We have practiced using this tool in the sun and shade, using Fahrenheit and Celsius. There will be a short quiz on Wednesday that reviews these skills. Meanwhile, we will be exploring how the temperature of a cup of tap water can be changed without the use of an appliance like a fridge or microwave. Essentially, we will work as a whole group to make a plan to change how much heat energy is in the cup of tap water, which will give us more practice using the F and C scales to measure temperature. Ask your child for updates as we work to develop and carry out our plan throughout the week.
Math Workshop
We are continuing our unit about fractions called Finding Fair Shares. In this unit, students investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. Our benchmark goals are: to divide a single whole or a quanity into equal parts and name those parts as fractions or mixed numbers, identify equivalent fractions, and to find combinations of fractions that are equal to one. Questions to ask your child:
* Is 2/3 equivalent to 3/2?
* How would you divide 7 brownies with 4 people equally?
* What is an equivalent fraction to 1/3?
There will be a Math quiz on Tuesday. You can review any completed pages in the Math Investigations Workbook (Unit 7)that have been completed. The homework sheet is #26 this week and will be checked on Thursday. In Tuesday Take-Home Folders, there will be a practice FCAT test the students completed. Please review this with your child carefully.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Newsletter
Social Studies
Today kicks off our three week unit on our final ancient civilization: Greece! Unfortunately, due to the timing of FCAT, we will not be having a celebration at the conclusion of this unit. We will need to use that time to finish our math review. This week we will be focusing on the location of this ancient civilization in the Mediterranean Sea and how living on the sea helped them with trading. There will be a quiz on Friday.
Science
We have finished our introduction to the five basic forms of energy: light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical. Hopefully you have visited the blog to learn about the energy posters we have been working on at school. Students will need to know about all five forms, although their poster is only on one. In order to help students organize information about all five forms, they have been given a chart to organize their notes. We will glue it into our notebooks on Tuesday, so they can use it to study and review for Wednesday's quiz on the Sun's energy and the five basic energy forms. On Thursday we will dive into a concentrated series of labs on heat energy. If you have any thermometers with a Celsius scale that could be borrowed for the next two weeks, please send them in but be sure to label them with your name.
Math Workshop
We are continuing our unit about fractions called Finding Fair Shares. In this unit, students investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. Our benchmark goals are: to divide a single whole or a quanity into equal parts and name those parts as fractions or mixed numbers, identify equivalent fractions, and to find combinations of fractions that are equal to one. Ask your child about the Fraction Cookie game we will be playing later on in the week. Ask them what fraction combinations equal one whole. They will have a fractions quiz on Tuesday. Look over Unit 7 in their workbook (pages 1-17) and their fraction pieces to review. The students will have Homework Sheet #25 assigned for the week. Also, don't forget to keep logging into Number Worlds for some awesome games to play!
Today kicks off our three week unit on our final ancient civilization: Greece! Unfortunately, due to the timing of FCAT, we will not be having a celebration at the conclusion of this unit. We will need to use that time to finish our math review. This week we will be focusing on the location of this ancient civilization in the Mediterranean Sea and how living on the sea helped them with trading. There will be a quiz on Friday.
Science
We have finished our introduction to the five basic forms of energy: light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical. Hopefully you have visited the blog to learn about the energy posters we have been working on at school. Students will need to know about all five forms, although their poster is only on one. In order to help students organize information about all five forms, they have been given a chart to organize their notes. We will glue it into our notebooks on Tuesday, so they can use it to study and review for Wednesday's quiz on the Sun's energy and the five basic energy forms. On Thursday we will dive into a concentrated series of labs on heat energy. If you have any thermometers with a Celsius scale that could be borrowed for the next two weeks, please send them in but be sure to label them with your name.
Math Workshop
We are continuing our unit about fractions called Finding Fair Shares. In this unit, students investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. Our benchmark goals are: to divide a single whole or a quanity into equal parts and name those parts as fractions or mixed numbers, identify equivalent fractions, and to find combinations of fractions that are equal to one. Ask your child about the Fraction Cookie game we will be playing later on in the week. Ask them what fraction combinations equal one whole. They will have a fractions quiz on Tuesday. Look over Unit 7 in their workbook (pages 1-17) and their fraction pieces to review. The students will have Homework Sheet #25 assigned for the week. Also, don't forget to keep logging into Number Worlds for some awesome games to play!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Energy Poster
We are currently getting a grasp of the basic forms of energy. In order to better understand each of the 5 basic energy forms third graders need to know, we have divided up into groups and each group is taking charge of one of the energy forms. We are working in class to research and collect 3 examples that show how people use their assigned energy form. Each group is also providing a short explanation of how the energy form causes change or motion (i.e. does work). Groups can also earn points for neatness (museum quality work with no scribbles) and teamwork (everyone has to compromise and put in an effort). Parents, ask your child how their poster is going. Kids, teach your parents about your energy form.
When we present our posters next week, we will use a graphic organizer to take notes on all five energy forms (light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical), since we will need to be able to identify examples of all five forms on the quiz next Wednesday. The quiz will also focus on the importance of the light and heat energy that we get from the Sun. Studying the notes we took in class on the Sun is a great review. Doubt the energy of the Sun...just remember "The Atomic Penny Vaporizer" video we watched in class! It proves how powerful the Sun's energy can be!
When we present our posters next week, we will use a graphic organizer to take notes on all five energy forms (light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical), since we will need to be able to identify examples of all five forms on the quiz next Wednesday. The quiz will also focus on the importance of the light and heat energy that we get from the Sun. Studying the notes we took in class on the Sun is a great review. Doubt the energy of the Sun...just remember "The Atomic Penny Vaporizer" video we watched in class! It proves how powerful the Sun's energy can be!
Social Studies Research
Many students have found this website to be very helpful and informative in their research of the Mayan people. Even if you are not choosing to do the extra credit project, you may still enjoy looking over this information. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Energy is Everywhere!
Energy is everywhere. You should now be able to recognize that energy is the ability to do work (as in causing motion or creating change, not homework!). We've looked around the playground and the classroom for things that move or create change a.k.a. energy sources. Have you looked around your home? Can you spot any examples of electrical, mechanical, heat, light, or sound energy? These are the 5 basic forms of energy that we will be focusing on this year as third graders. If you see some, leave a comment and tell us about them.
For some more information about energy, read the energy story! Keep in mind that this site contains more detailed information about many other types of energy than we will need to know about this year...but super scientists can zoom in on the key details and always love a little extra info!
Newsletter
Social Studies
Reminder! If your child is interested in participating in the extra credit presentation at this Friday's fiesta, we need to receive a note in the planner or via email by tomorrow (Tuesday, March 8th) so we can add them to the schedule. This week will conclude our study of the Maya people. We will discuss the contributions these people made in the arts, as well as in science and mathematics. Ask your child about their writing and number system. If you would like to donate food items for the fiesta, please contact us immediately. We will still have a quiz this week, with extra credit presentations and themed snacks to follow.
Science
Our energy unit is underway. We will spend much of the week investigating the following questions: What is energy? (something that can cause motion or change) What are the basic forms of energy? (heat, light, electrical, sound, and mechanical). We will begin an in class group poster activity. See the blog midweek for more details.
Math Workshop
We are continuing our unit about fractions called Finding Fair Shares. In this unit, students investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. Our benchmark goals are as follows: for the students to divide a single whole or a quanity into equal parts and name those parts as fractions or mixed numbers, identify equivalent fractions, and to find combinations of fractions that are equal to one. Take advantage of any natural opportunities to use fractions as they arise. You and your child can share and compare strategies for solving problems such as these: If a recipe calls for one half cap of an ingredient, pretend that the measuring cup that holds that amount is broken. Ask your child how else you can measure that amount. For example, 1/2 can also be represented as 1/4+1/4. You might check the answer by pouring those amounts into the one half cup measure to see whether they will equal the one half cup exactly. They will have a short fractions quiz on Tuesday. Look over Unit 7, pages 1-10 and their fraction pieces to review. The students will have Homework Sheet # 24 assigned for the week.
Reminder! If your child is interested in participating in the extra credit presentation at this Friday's fiesta, we need to receive a note in the planner or via email by tomorrow (Tuesday, March 8th) so we can add them to the schedule. This week will conclude our study of the Maya people. We will discuss the contributions these people made in the arts, as well as in science and mathematics. Ask your child about their writing and number system. If you would like to donate food items for the fiesta, please contact us immediately. We will still have a quiz this week, with extra credit presentations and themed snacks to follow.
Science
Our energy unit is underway. We will spend much of the week investigating the following questions: What is energy? (something that can cause motion or change) What are the basic forms of energy? (heat, light, electrical, sound, and mechanical). We will begin an in class group poster activity. See the blog midweek for more details.
Math Workshop
We are continuing our unit about fractions called Finding Fair Shares. In this unit, students investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. Our benchmark goals are as follows: for the students to divide a single whole or a quanity into equal parts and name those parts as fractions or mixed numbers, identify equivalent fractions, and to find combinations of fractions that are equal to one. Take advantage of any natural opportunities to use fractions as they arise. You and your child can share and compare strategies for solving problems such as these: If a recipe calls for one half cap of an ingredient, pretend that the measuring cup that holds that amount is broken. Ask your child how else you can measure that amount. For example, 1/2 can also be represented as 1/4+1/4. You might check the answer by pouring those amounts into the one half cup measure to see whether they will equal the one half cup exactly. They will have a short fractions quiz on Tuesday. Look over Unit 7, pages 1-10 and their fraction pieces to review. The students will have Homework Sheet # 24 assigned for the week.
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